Towards a design space of haptics in everyday virtual reality across different spatial scales

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a consumer-grade technology, especially with the advent of standalone headsets working independently from a powerful computer. Domestic VR mainly uses the visual and auditory senses since VR headsets make this accessible. Haptic feedback, however, has the potential to increase immersion substantially. So far, it is mostly used in laboratory settings with specialized haptic devices. Especially for domestic VR, there is underexplored potential in exploiting physical elements of the often confined space in which it is used. In a literature review (n = 20), we analyzed VR interaction using haptic feedback with or without physical limitations. From this, we derive a design space for VR haptics across three spatial scales (seated, standing, and walking). In our narrow selection of papers, we found inspirations for future work and will discuss two example scenarios. Our work gives a current overview of haptic VR solutions and highlights strategies for adapting laboratory solutions to an everyday context.